Tag Archives: visitors

One Person From IRELAND Appears To Be Hell Bent On Reading Every Post On This Blog — So Far They Have Read Over A 1,000. That is 45%!

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by Anura Guruge
on October 4, 2023

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I don’t know whether to be flattered or WHAT?

If it was multiple people I it would be easier to fathom — and indeed very flattering.

This is ONE PERSON. The WordPress STATS distinguishes between VISITORS & VIEWS. So, what I am seeing is 1 VISITOR … over a 1,000 VIEWS.

I really would like to know who it is & why this interest.

Yes, perfectly OK. This is a public blog. I appreciate.

It is just that I have never had anyone so interested in my posts. Plus, Ireland. You know, this is sad. I don’t know anyone in Ireland.

C’est la vie. Just wanted to get this out.

IF you see this, I really would like to get to know you. If nothing else to say ‘THANK YOU’ & also ask if there are any subjects you want me to write about.

SMILE. THANKS.

That My New Hampshire Is The ‘Beer Capital’ Of The U.S. Is Sheer Bunkum — Data Distortion.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 27, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Click for original coverage from the U.K. ‘Daily Mail’.

This is totally & utterly wrong. Yes, the data collected is no doubt correct BUT that is data is distorted.

Yes, it is per capita, but per capita can lie!

1st & fundamental problem: NH has a relatively small population (though I am staggered to realize that we have a smidge more than the much, much, much LARGER Maine). This small base number doesn’t have much leeway to accommodate external factors that are NOT taken into account.

NH gets a TON of beer guzzling visitors YEAR ROUND — in the winter for winter sports & in the Summer for the beaches & lakes. These out of states, beer guzzling visitors, don’t get factored into the per capita calculation.

NH also has an AGING population compared to other states. So, we have more adults than minors. Many adults drink beer. Not so many minors. This means that compared to other States we have a higher percentage of folks who can buy beer. That makes a difference.

2nd BIG Factor: By design alcohol is cheap in TAX-FREE NH. Alcohol sales is a major source of State revenue. We ENCOURAGE folks from the neighboring states to buy alcohol from us. That severely distorts the numbers.

So, that is the REAL STORY.

It is NOT per capita.

The U.K. ‘Daily Mail‘, though my favorite newspaper by far (& has been so for 40 years) never digs into the nitty gritty of stories like this. Hence why I felt obliged to clarify.

Got that? Thanks.

‘Acadia National Park’, Maine, Sees A 8% Drop In Visitors, YTD, In 2022 Compared To Last Year.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 21, 2022

Click to ENLARGE & read here. Link to original ‘MDI’ article.

4 pictures from my visit to Acadia in February 2022 when I had the Park all to myself some of the time!

Click images to ENLARGE & Enjoy.

First & foremost I have to say that I take these numbers with a large grain of salt. Unlike with some of the other National Parks, e.g., Shenandoah, all the entrances to Acadia NP are not gated or monitored. So, it is difficult to get an accurate count. I suspect that these numbers are primarily based on the number of vehicles that passed through the ‘Sand Beach Entrance Station‘. That provides comparative data, BUT is by NO MEANS even close to an accurate gauge of the number of people visiting Acadia. But, just lets go with the comparative data, 2021 vs 2022.

Last year was a RECORD YEAR for Acadia. And we know why that was COVID or to be more precise the escape & relief from COVID. In Acadia it isn’t too difficult to maintain social distancing — even with record crowds.

This year 3 factors, two interrelated are at play which would easily explain the 8% drop.

  1. Gas prices.
  2. Inflation which is hitting wallets & impacting vacation plans.
  3. People have started flying again in anger (or did so till June) & as such were able to travel to other parks.

So, all in all, this is NOT a big deal. Some will argue that a 8% drop was good given that most don’t want to see Acadia congested to the brim.